Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "heart-of-midlothian"
A Century of League Goals
Thomas (Tommy) White 1939-2019
Tom White was born at Musselburgh on 12 August 1939. He was a bustling centre forward who started his career with Bonnyrigg Rose before moving to Scottish League side Raith Rovers, where he scored 11 goals in 30 games, his career there having been interrupted by two years' National Service. He moved on to St Mirren, where he scored 20 goals in 35 League games before being transferred to Heart of Midlothian, where he played 37 League games, scoring 30 goals, eight Cup games, scoring five goals, and 16 other games, scoring 13 goals, a record of 48 goals that earned him the moniker 'Goal-a-game White'. However, a serious car crash curtailed his career at Hearts, from where he was selected for the Scottish League against the Irish League but he had to withdraw through illness. Also while at Hearts he played for Tottenham Hotspur in The John White Memorial Match for his older brother John White, who was tragically struck by lightning on a golf course aged just 27, against an All Star Scotland XI at White Hart Lane on 10 November 1964, when he scored the first of Spurs' goals in a 6-2 defeat.
He left Hearts finally when he was exchanged for Aberdeen's Don Kerrigan in the summer of 1965 and his brief spell at the club saw him score four goals in 14 games before a move into English football when he joined Crystal Palace along with team-mate John McCormick in May 1966. He went on to play 37 League games, make two substitute appearances and score 13 goals for Palace. He was then signed by Blackpool from Crystal Palace for a fee of £19,000 on 11 March 1968.
He made his League debut for Blackpool against Aston Villa on 16 March 1968 when Blackpool won 1-0 with a goal from Gordon Milne. He scored his first League goal for the Seasiders in his third game when Plymouth Argyle were defeated 2-0 on 30 May 1968. Then after five games in which he failed to score he scored both goals in the 2-0 victory over Portsmouth on 27 April 1968. He scored one further goal, in a 3-1 victory over Derby County on 4 May 1968 which gave him four goals in the 11 League games he played in the 1967/68 season. And he was such a wholehearted player that the endearing chant of 'Tom, Tom, Tom. Tom, Tommy White' regularly rang round the terraces at Bloomfield Road.
He began the 1968/69 season in fine form and he scored both goals in the 2-0 defeat of Hull City on the first day of the season, 10 August 1968, and he featured in the opening 11 games before injury interrupted his season. He was in and out of the side for the remainder of that season as Blackpool tried to replace him with a variety of occasional centre forwards. On one occasion he returned from his injury for his first Central League game of the season and he scored twice as Blackpool defeated Burnley reserves 3-1 on 14 December 1968.
And perhaps not surprisingly, he was 'way below form' as 'the attack seldom functioned smoothly' despite Blackpool defeating Norwich City 2-1 on 19 March 1969. In an injury-hit season he played 22 League games, scoring five goals, one FA Cup tie, two League Cup ties, scoring two goals, and four Central League games, scoring three goals, in the 1968/69 season.
He was unfortunately not fully fit when the 1969/70 season began and on 3 September 1969 Blackpool reluctantly announced that they were ready to listen to offers for him and he was placed on the transfer list.
Supposedly recovered from his ankle injury, he made his first League start of the 1969/70 season against Watford on 20 September 1969. With Blackpool one goal behind, he was replaced after 68 minutes and Blackpool went on to lose 3-0. Although at one time he 'seemed a little slow off the mark' when chasing a Hutchison cross, he did have a couple of memorable moments when on the field. They came when his 'shot on the turn from 16-yards was going low into the corner of the net when Walker dived full length to save' and then when he was 'spoken to by the referee for challenging goalkeeper Walker'.
It was his only League game of the 1969/70 season and it turned out to be his final game for Blackpool, for whom he played 34 League games and scored nine goals plus three Cup ties scoring two goals. Blackpool gave him a free transfer on 19 June 1970 and he immediately joined Bury and went on to play 46 League games, make two substitute appearances and score 13 goals for the club. He had one final League club when he was transferred to Crewe Alexandra in December 1971 but he played only four League games for the club without scoring a goal. However he did score a most creditable total of 100 goals in his 241 senior League games for his various clubs.
He later had a spell with then non-League Fleetwood before he was appointed caretaker-manager of Blackpool in April 1990 after Jimmy Mullen had resigned and he was in charge until the end of the season when Graham Carr was appointed on a permanent basis.
He was later a business man, a hotelier at the Boston Hotel, in Blackpool and served for 12 years on the club’s board of directors until Owen Oyston took over.
He died in Blackpool on 17 December 2019 after a lengthy illness. Tommy White was a wholehearted player and a lovely man and will be sadly missed by family and friends alike.
Tom White was born at Musselburgh on 12 August 1939. He was a bustling centre forward who started his career with Bonnyrigg Rose before moving to Scottish League side Raith Rovers, where he scored 11 goals in 30 games, his career there having been interrupted by two years' National Service. He moved on to St Mirren, where he scored 20 goals in 35 League games before being transferred to Heart of Midlothian, where he played 37 League games, scoring 30 goals, eight Cup games, scoring five goals, and 16 other games, scoring 13 goals, a record of 48 goals that earned him the moniker 'Goal-a-game White'. However, a serious car crash curtailed his career at Hearts, from where he was selected for the Scottish League against the Irish League but he had to withdraw through illness. Also while at Hearts he played for Tottenham Hotspur in The John White Memorial Match for his older brother John White, who was tragically struck by lightning on a golf course aged just 27, against an All Star Scotland XI at White Hart Lane on 10 November 1964, when he scored the first of Spurs' goals in a 6-2 defeat.
He left Hearts finally when he was exchanged for Aberdeen's Don Kerrigan in the summer of 1965 and his brief spell at the club saw him score four goals in 14 games before a move into English football when he joined Crystal Palace along with team-mate John McCormick in May 1966. He went on to play 37 League games, make two substitute appearances and score 13 goals for Palace. He was then signed by Blackpool from Crystal Palace for a fee of £19,000 on 11 March 1968.
He made his League debut for Blackpool against Aston Villa on 16 March 1968 when Blackpool won 1-0 with a goal from Gordon Milne. He scored his first League goal for the Seasiders in his third game when Plymouth Argyle were defeated 2-0 on 30 May 1968. Then after five games in which he failed to score he scored both goals in the 2-0 victory over Portsmouth on 27 April 1968. He scored one further goal, in a 3-1 victory over Derby County on 4 May 1968 which gave him four goals in the 11 League games he played in the 1967/68 season. And he was such a wholehearted player that the endearing chant of 'Tom, Tom, Tom. Tom, Tommy White' regularly rang round the terraces at Bloomfield Road.
He began the 1968/69 season in fine form and he scored both goals in the 2-0 defeat of Hull City on the first day of the season, 10 August 1968, and he featured in the opening 11 games before injury interrupted his season. He was in and out of the side for the remainder of that season as Blackpool tried to replace him with a variety of occasional centre forwards. On one occasion he returned from his injury for his first Central League game of the season and he scored twice as Blackpool defeated Burnley reserves 3-1 on 14 December 1968.
And perhaps not surprisingly, he was 'way below form' as 'the attack seldom functioned smoothly' despite Blackpool defeating Norwich City 2-1 on 19 March 1969. In an injury-hit season he played 22 League games, scoring five goals, one FA Cup tie, two League Cup ties, scoring two goals, and four Central League games, scoring three goals, in the 1968/69 season.
He was unfortunately not fully fit when the 1969/70 season began and on 3 September 1969 Blackpool reluctantly announced that they were ready to listen to offers for him and he was placed on the transfer list.
Supposedly recovered from his ankle injury, he made his first League start of the 1969/70 season against Watford on 20 September 1969. With Blackpool one goal behind, he was replaced after 68 minutes and Blackpool went on to lose 3-0. Although at one time he 'seemed a little slow off the mark' when chasing a Hutchison cross, he did have a couple of memorable moments when on the field. They came when his 'shot on the turn from 16-yards was going low into the corner of the net when Walker dived full length to save' and then when he was 'spoken to by the referee for challenging goalkeeper Walker'.
It was his only League game of the 1969/70 season and it turned out to be his final game for Blackpool, for whom he played 34 League games and scored nine goals plus three Cup ties scoring two goals. Blackpool gave him a free transfer on 19 June 1970 and he immediately joined Bury and went on to play 46 League games, make two substitute appearances and score 13 goals for the club. He had one final League club when he was transferred to Crewe Alexandra in December 1971 but he played only four League games for the club without scoring a goal. However he did score a most creditable total of 100 goals in his 241 senior League games for his various clubs.
He later had a spell with then non-League Fleetwood before he was appointed caretaker-manager of Blackpool in April 1990 after Jimmy Mullen had resigned and he was in charge until the end of the season when Graham Carr was appointed on a permanent basis.
He was later a business man, a hotelier at the Boston Hotel, in Blackpool and served for 12 years on the club’s board of directors until Owen Oyston took over.
He died in Blackpool on 17 December 2019 after a lengthy illness. Tommy White was a wholehearted player and a lovely man and will be sadly missed by family and friends alike.
